"Squelching" is the present participle or gerund form of the verb "squelch". Like most participles and gerunds, it usually begins a phrase that functions as a whole as an adjective or adverb (for the participle) or a noun (for the gerund).
adverb
what part of speech is work
i want to know what part of speech is camping
what part of speech is beneath
what part of speech is eleven
squelching
The part of speech for "answer" is a noun.
part of speech
The part of speech for this particular word is a noun.
what part of speech is beneath
what part of speech is work
adverb
The part of speech for "explicit" is an adjective.
The part of speech for "indefinite" is an adjective.
The part of speech for "unfamiliar" is an adjective.
The part of speech for "twirl" is a verb.
The part of speech of "came" is a verb.